After 14 years in Los Angeles, Endeavour is ready to welcome visitors to its permanent home. The new California Science Center exhibition offers a 20-story shuttle display, hands-on activities and free general admission.
Fourteen years ago, thousands of Angelenos lined the streets to watch a spacecraft make an extraordinary journey through their neighborhoods.
Now, the space shuttle Endeavour is ready for another memorable moment.
On Friday, November 13, the California Science Center will open the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Exposition Park, allowing visitors to see Endeavour standing upright in the same configuration used before its missions into space.
The display rises approximately 20 stories and brings together an actual NASA orbiter, two solid rocket boosters and an enormous external fuel tank.
It is the world’s only museum display of a complete, authentic space shuttle system in launch position.
For Los Angeles families, the experience comes with an important benefit: general admission is free.
What Will Visitors See Inside?
Endeavour is the centerpiece of the new Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery.
Instead of looking at the spacecraft horizontally, as visitors did during its previous exhibition, people will see it standing vertically, attached to the equipment that once helped launch space shuttles into orbit.
The display includes ET-94, the last remaining flight-qualified external tank.
Visitors can examine the shuttle from multiple levels and learn about the engineering that allowed astronauts to travel into space and return safely to Earth.
The new 200,000-square-foot center nearly doubles the Science Center’s exhibition space.
It features approximately 100 aerospace artifacts and 100 new hands-on exhibits exploring aviation, space exploration and engineering.
Beyond Endeavour, visitors can explore the Korean Air Aviation Gallery and Kent Kresa Space Gallery.
The center is designed to encourage curiosity, particularly among children and students who may be discovering aerospace science for the first time.
How Did Endeavour Become Part of Los Angeles?
Endeavour’s connection to Southern California began long before its arrival at the museum.
Built in the region following the 1986 Challenger disaster, Endeavour became NASA’s youngest space shuttle.
Its first mission launched in May 1992. Over nearly two decades, the spacecraft completed 25 missions, contributing to scientific research, servicing the Hubble Space Telescope and helping construct the International Space Station.
Its final mission ended in 2011.
NASA selected the California Science Center as Endeavour’s permanent home, and the spacecraft arrived at Los Angeles International Airport aboard a modified Boeing 747 in September 2012.
The following month, Endeavour traveled approximately 12 miles through Los Angeles and Inglewood streets to Exposition Park.
The journey took roughly 68 hours.
Residents watched as the enormous spacecraft passed homes, businesses and intersections that had never been designed to accommodate a space shuttle.
For many Angelenos, it became an unforgettable shared experience.
Endeavour later spent years displayed horizontally while construction proceeded on its permanent home.
Now, the spacecraft stands as it once did before launch.
Why Does the New Center Matter for Southern California?
Southern California played a major role in the development of America’s aerospace industry.
The region’s engineers, manufacturers and research institutions contributed to the Space Shuttle Program and continue supporting aviation and space exploration.
Endeavour’s permanent exhibition preserves part of that history while introducing younger generations to the science behind it.
The $450 million expansion also creates another major educational destination in Exposition Park, an area already home to several prominent cultural institutions.
For local families, the opportunity is especially meaningful: children can experience a major piece of space history without traveling outside Los Angeles.
How Much Does It Cost to Visit Endeavour?
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens Friday, November 13, 2026, at 10 a.m.
General admission to the California Science Center, including the new Air and Space Center, is free.
However, visitors are strongly encouraged to make advance timed reservations because demand is expected to be high.
A $4 per-person service fee applies to advance reservations. California Science Center members are exempt from that fee.
Visitors without reservations may be admitted if space is available, but entry is not guaranteed.
Planning your visit:
- Location: California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles.
- Opening: Friday, November 13, at 10 a.m.
- General admission: Free.
- Advance reservation fee: $4 per person; waived for members.
- Reservations: California Science Center tickets and reservations.
- Telephone: 213-744-2019.
